Chapter 21 Theo #2
“I’m going to let you get away with that because I don’t think you’ll really hear me when I tell you how wonderful this is.” Even in her heels she had to rise up on her toes to give me a kiss on the cheek.
“Knight,” someone interjected, ending our conversation.
The rest of the evening was spent mingling with people, it felt incredible to have Quinn at my side. I’m proud of myself for not pounding on my chest every time I got to introduce her as mine to someone new.
She only left me a few times to get a drink or go to the toilets and when she left, I was easily able to find her in the crowd, it was like my eyes were drawn to her.
I could just tell where she would be. When she’d been gone for a while, I looked up to find her and Edward chatting.
Asher had joined them which let me focus on the conversation in front of me.
Seeing her light up a room, how people were drawn to her warmth, I sometimes questioned if I was good enough for her.
Finally, I had a chance to break away and go join them. As I came up behind her, I placed a hand on her waist and she leaned back into me with an excited smile on her face. It seemed that just like how I knew where she always was, she knew it was me.
“Sorry, Edward,” I said as I reached down and grabbed her hand. “I have to pull her away for a dance.”
“Of course.” He nodded as he winked at Quinn.
I led her to the dance floor and pulled her into me. She let out a content sigh and rested her head on my chest.
“What were you and Edward discussing?” I asked as we moved to the music being played by the live string quartet.
“He was explaining to me how the foundation worked. It’s incredible, the network they’ve created and how it operates.
” She took a breath, like she was stopping herself from going into one of the rambling spirals I liked so much.
“The fact that you have found a way to make it accessible in the UK and the EU is amazing.” She tilted her head back and looked up at me.
“Did I tell you how stunning you look tonight?” I asked as she blushed a little. I wanted her to stop talking about me.
“Thank you for bringing me.” I knew that she meant it, letting her in to see this was a big deal for me, just like having her stay at my house.
But I wanted her, in every part of my life.
We danced through another two songs before they announced dessert was being served and the auction would start.
When we climbed into the limo at the end of the night, I was exhausted from talking to so many people. I was loosening my bow tie, like the other guys in the car as Quinn took off her heels and relaxed into my side.
“Good turnout tonight.” Will’s comment was followed by a yawn. The lack of sleep was getting to all of us, and we had to be up early.
“Chase Whitethorn is going to reach out,” Oli said. “He has some contacts that have ideas for the private club. Already talking about expansion opportunities and it’s not even open.”
“How often do you guys hold these events?” Quinn asked even though her eyes were closed.
“Twice a year for the big galas but we run other campaigns year-round,” Noah answered. She didn’t respond but she did smile.
I roused Quinn long enough to get her up to the suite where she sleepily washed her face before she fell into bed in my t-shirt. I fell asleep quickly with her pulled against me.
Our alarms went off earlier than I would have liked but we needed to get moving to meet everyone downstairs for breakfast. I handed Quinn my jersey that she pulled on happily as I grabbed my spare that I’d packed.
We brought our suitcases down and headed off to enjoy the game. Knight Enterprises owned a box that we used for clients but today it was just us.
Quinn didn’t seem to pay much attention to the game but cheered when the crowd did.
The group split our attention between watching the game, arguing about the teams’ stats, a discussion on how much better the winter was in Calgary because of the sun and quizzing Quinn on the rules.
Quinn fit perfectly into my side and she stayed there throughout the whole game.
I’d assumed that rowdy crowds like this would make her anxious, but she seemed calm the whole time. It probably helped that we were protected from the worst of the chaos.
The fans here were intense, the energy electric and the stadium exploded with cheers so loud you couldn’t think when they won. All the men in our box cheered and patted each other on the back with the victory, like we’d played some part of it.
Noah, caught up in the excitement, had lifted Quinn up, spinning her around until I demanded he put her down. I socked him hard in the arm the second she was safely back on the ground.
After the game, we made our way out of the buzzing stadium to the waiting SUVs we rented for the remainder of our trip.
I went to the passenger door of the front car and held it open for Quinn before going around to the driver’s side.
Noah and Jaxson joined us while Asher drove the back car with Oli and Will.
Noah’s parents, Henry and Jane, lived on a piece of land that we bought them near Brighton. It was an hour and a half drive to their place. I kept Quinn’s hand in mine as she asked Noah questions about where we grew up.
For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace as we drove to see the people that raised me after my mum died.